Sunday, May 27, 2007

The first Memorial Day Weekend wedding I shot was Rich and Typh's, at the amazingly beautiful UC Berkeley Botanic Gardens. These two are just so, so rad - I was almost sad to leave the wedding. I get the best clients, really; I kind of wanted to say, "okay, but we'll hang out again soon, okay?"

They seem to be the perfect balance for each other. Typh and I gabbed and gabbed all the times we met, and Rich is more quiet and subdued but obviously has a kind, genuine heart and was also a blast to meet. Their families and friends had come mostly from out of town, and mostly from the South and Midwest, and they were so kind and fun to talk to as well. What a fantastic group!

Typh made her own wedding dress, which was gorgeous, and chose the loveliest shade of bright yellow for the bridesmaids' dresses. I wasn't sure what to expect from her description of "neon yellow dresses", but what I got was a bunch of stunningly beautiful women with awesome hair, shoes, accessories, bouquets, dresses, and personalities!

This wedding just flew by. The day started out at about 80 degrees, but by the time we left the dark Redwood Grove (where the ceremony was held), the sky was overcast and the hills were shrouded in fog. This was very romantic and pretty, but COLD! None of us were expecting that kind of weather (even those of us who had grown up in the Bay Area) and poor Typh just had Rich and her veil to keep her warm!

We did some crazy cool vintage 4x5" shots, and the two of them were great sports while we did the set up. I'm pleased to say that Devon and I have it down to a pretty good routine! We also had a self portrait setup, and their guests braved the cold to give us all kinds of great shots.

My favorite moments of the day included the very sweet ceremony (officiated by a friend and the bride's father, with readings and song from all kinds of friends); getting the bride and groom portraits despite the cold; the stories and toasts shared by various friends and family (who obviously ADORE these two!)...

Other highlights - besides the beautiful, though foggy, venue - included the food, yet another delicious vegetarian meal, this time by Trumpetvine Catering;

the gorgeous bouquets, which were done by Loop Flowers - who I worked with a long time ago (their stuff is amazing!);

(check out the crazy Dr. Seuss-esque bits that go with the weird plants from the gardens themselves!)

plus the fact that Typh and Rich took a workshop to smelt their very own wedding rings (!); and the dancing.

(this one was taken during Van Halen's "Jump" - these guys were great sports about, you know, jumping)

Their friends and family all braved the chill to get their dance on after the cake cutting, and I was rocking out with them to hits like these:

Awesome!!

This is a long post, I know, but I've got a lot of gushing to do about these cutie pies and their wedding...

Check out their slideshow here.

We also did a self portrait set up for their guests to use, and though it ended up being quite chilly, they were all terrific sports about using it. That slideshow lives here.

edited 1.2.08 - the slideshows have been taken down for server tidiness. Please let me know if you're interested in seeing them.